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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. HUMPHREY.

TUEBINE WATER WHEEL.

No. 428.049. Patented May 13, 1890.

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` (No Model.) s sheets-sheet 2. J. HUMPHREY.

TUEBINE WATER WHEEL.

No. 428,049 Y Patented May 13, 1890.

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J. I-IMPHREY.y TURBINE WATER W'HIEL.`

Patented May 13, 1890..

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n [Wren/rvr .JonHum/a/zreg, 5X/wf@ 2y www UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HUMPHREY, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE HUMPI'IREY TURBINE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

TURBINE WATER-WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 428,049, dated May 13, 1890.

Application filed February 24, 1890. Serial No. 341,486. (No model.)

To all whom z5 may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN HUMPHREY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio,

have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Turbine Tater Vheels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to improvements in turbine water-wheels, and is an improve- 1 o ment on the wheel for which I was granted Letters Patent of the United States No. 309,227, on December 1G, 1884.

The objects of my present invention are to prevent shock to the Wheel and connected mechanism incident to the sudden impact of the water against the buckets and to avoid the resistance from friction of the water against angular surfaces and counter-currents within the buckets by an improved shape zo for the buckets which shall conform as near as may be to the currents of water passing through them; to provide an improved gate for the opening, closing, and regulating the flow of water from the wheel; to provide de- 2 5 vices for regulating the flow of water to the wheel, and suitable means for operating these devices; to provide devices for centering and supporting the wheel-shaft in the center of the top of the wheel-case, and generally to 3o increase the efficiency, regulate the operation,

and simplify the construction of the wheel.

To these ends my invention consists in the peculiar construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, and then spe- 3 5 cifically pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts,

4o Figure lis an elevation of the entire machine;

Fig. 2, a plan of the same; Fig. 3, a horizontal section of the same at the line y y of Figs.f

l and 4; Fig. 4, avertieal section at the line X of Figs. 2 and 3, the wheel and shaft being shown in elevation; Fig. 5, a vertical section of one-half of the machine at the line X V of Figs. 2 and 3; Fig. 6, a similar section of the Wheel and upper part of the case and cap at the line X Z of Figs. 2 and 3; and Figs. 7

5o to 14, inclusive, details of parts embodied in my machine, and hereinafter fully described. The wheel-case consists of three parts-viz.,

a cap, a central part, and an annular gate. The central part consists of upper and lower cylindrical rings A A', the horizontal space 55 between which is substantially one-half the depth of the wheel, united by a series of guide-blades A2, which parts are preferably integral, as by a single casting. The upper ring Ahas near the bottom an inner annular flange 6o a, which extends over the top of the wheel and prevents the water passing above the wheel into the cap. It alsohas at the bottom an outer annular flange a', which constitutes the top of the space for the water to enter, and with which the guide-blades A2 are united. The lower ring A extends vertically downward about or slightly exceeding one-half the distance from the vertical center of the wheel to its base, and has at its top an outer annular 7o flange d2, similar to and which registers vertically with the flange c', and forms the bottom of the opening for the water to enter, and is connected with the flange a by the guideblade A2.

The guide-blades A2 are similar in construction, and each consists of a thin wedge-shaped prism having a semicircular groove near its narrow side and with its point toward the wheel and standing substantially at a tan- 8o gent with the periphery and in the direction of the revolution of the wheel. The internal periphery of the rings A A and points of the guide-blades A2 are in the same vertical circle, which exceeds the diameter of the wheel 8 5 sufficiently to permit its entrance and revolution therein. The cap B is a hollow cone with inwardly-curved sides, whose base eX- tends over and beyond the ring A, and has an inner depending annular liange b, adapted 9o to enter and t the interior of the ring A, and to which it is bolted. Near the top the cap is solid, excepting the orifice for the wheelshaft, above which part it extends upwardin l three partitions b Z9 b', (shown in elevation 95 and plan in detail views, Figs. IO and 11,) said partitions being each curved in the center, forming segments of a vertical circle corresponding with the shaft-orifice, and their ends extending outward, terminating in a circle Ico concentric with the shaftorifice, leaving spaces c between the ends of adjacent partitions, for a purpose t0 be hereinafter described.

The annulargate D consists of a cylindrical ring arranged to tit and slide on the outside of ring A', slightly exceeding in depth the space between the bottom of said ring A and the base of the wheel and having about its top an outer annular flange d. A tight joint is made between the rings A and D by a packing ring or gasket d', compressed by an annular disk di, united with the flange d bv bolts. This annular gate is raised and lowered by rods E E', situated on opposite sides of the wheel-case, and as their construction and operation are identical one only E is fully shown, the position ot the other E being indicated in Fig. 2. The lower end ot the rod E passes through the disk (Z2 and flange d, and is secured by a nut, thereby also serving as a bolt to unite said parts, and which rod extends upward through the flanges a2 a and cap B, where it is provided with a stuffing-box c. Between the flange a2 and cap B itis preferably inclosed in a tubular ease c', which may constitute a pivot for one of the regulating-gates hereinafter described, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5.

The wheel consists of a hollow inner shell F, circular in horizontal section, with inwardly-curved sides, its least diameter-being at or slightly below its vertical center, the diameter of the top being such as to fit and turn in the wheel-case and the bottom extending outwardly to form a horizontal flange f, sufliciently wide to engage the annular gate D in its descent, and thereby prevent the escape of water from the wheel. This shell between the top and bottom is tinted spirally with a series of curved grooves, substantially semicrcular in horizontal section, which run from the top in a direction opposite the motion of the wheel, and gradually increase in curvature from a vertical line, until near the bottom they approach a horizontal line. From the lines of union of these grooves project blades f which, conforming on each side to the curvature of the grooves, extend outwardly in curved form in a direction opposite the revolution of the wheel until their edges are in the saine vertical circle with the top of the shell F and nearly tangential to the same.

lVithin the shellF is hub f3, connected with the shell by spokesfz, and by which the wheel is mounted on the shaft X, the bottom of which hub is flush with the bottom of the wheel and has a conical socket f4, to receive the point of the conical step g.

The wheel-case rests in a cylindrical casing H, having an outer annular flange h, which ,rests on the bottom of the pen-stock, and is provided with internally screw-threaded sockets 7L', to receive the bolts g', by which the bridge-tree G, bearing the wood step g, is adjnstably supported.

Disposed about theopenin gin thewheel-case between the ilanges a d2, and having a depth equal to the space between them, is a series of gates I, equal in number with the guideplates A2, a plan and elevation of 011e of which are shown in Figs. S and S). Fach gate has a sharp inner edge, is conformed to tit the semicircular groove and outer 'tace ot' one of the guides A2, is pierced vertically with a pivothole, and extends outwardly in a thin plate, the upper part preferablyexceeding thelower in length, as shown, and for a purpose hereinaf ter stated. These gates are mounted on bolts extending between the iianges a a2, eX- cept when the tubular case e', hereinbeforc referred to, snbserves the same purpose, and, swinging horizontally, serve to contract the spaces between the guide-plates A2, and thereby regulate the ilow of water to the wheel. To secure this result the gates I should move in unison, and for thatpurposea ring .I whose lower edge registers horizontally with the bottom of the ring a', is interposed below the flanges of the cap B and rests on frictionrollersj on the outside of the ring A.

On the outside of the ring J is a series of inverted sockets fi, equal in number and arranged to register vertically with the outer ends of the gates I. In these sockets are placed cylindrical bolts K, one of which is shown in elevation in Fig. '7, each having in its lower endavertieal groove to fit the outer upper edge of one of the gates I. By turning the ring J in a direction opposite the motion of the wheel the inner ends of the gates I are simultaneously moved away from their adjacent guide -blades, thereby contracting the spaces for the entrance of water to the wheel. To eiect this partial revolution of the ring J, a rod L, the upper end of which is provided with a hand-wheel, passes through a bearing in the cap B and is secured by a stuliing-box M. On the lower end of this rod is a forked crank-arm N, (Fig. 14, which is an inverted plan of part of the cap 13,) which incloses a friction-wheel l) on the inside of the ring J.

To retain the shaft X centrally in the top of the cap B and compensate for wear, wood blocks O, one of which is shown in perspective in Fig. l2, are inserted in the spaces C, and about them is placed a ring Q, provided with a handle to turn it and having three inner curved cam-faces to engage the blocks c and force them against the shaft X by a partial revolution of the ring. A loose ring R. rests on the ring Q., and the parts are retained by an annular plate S, united with the solid part of the cap B by bolts.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s-

l. A turbine water-wheel of vertical cylindrical outline, cmbodyin g a vertically-concave shell, with top and bottom in the cylindrical outline, fluted spirally between the top and bottom with curved grooves, and rearwardlycurved blades extending from the union lines of adjacent grooves, their outer edges being in the cylindrical out-line of the wheel, substantially as shown.

2. A turbine water-wheel of vertical cylin- IOO IIO

drical outline, embodying a vertically-concave shell, with top and bottom in the cylindrical out-line, luted spirally between top and bottom with curved grooves, the` departure of which grooves from a perpendicular increases as they descend,and rearwardly-curved blades extending from the union lines of adjacent grooves, their outer edges being in the cylindrical outline of the Wheel.

3. A turbine Water-Wheel of vertical cylindrical outline, embodying avertically-concave shell Whose least diameter is below its vertical center, With top and bottom in the cylindrical outline, fluted spil-ally between top and bottom With curved grooves, and rearwardly-curved blades extending from the union lines of adjacent grooves, the outer edges being in the cylindrical outline of the f Wheel, substantially as shown.

t. In a turbine-wheel open toireceive and discharge Water only at its periphery and having a flange extending beyond its cylindrical outline, in combination with a Wheelcase terminating above said flange, and an annular vertically-moving gate arranged to project below said Wheel-case and encounter said flange, substantially as shown.

5. The combination, with the Wheel-case and the gates I, pivotally mounted therein, of the ring J, bearing the inverted sockets tand slotted bolts K, arranged to severally enter the sockets t and inclose the edge of the gates I, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the above I hereunto set my hand.

JOHN HUMPHREY.

In presence 0- C. P. HUMPHREY, C. E. HUMPHREY. 

